Obama triggers firestorm in CIA tactics case

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

Some folks are getting mighty upset about the chance of accountability catching their sorry asses.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090422/pl_nm/us_security_usa_1

President Barack Obama was criticized harshly on Wednesday for leaving the door open to the prosecution of former Bush administration officials who authorized severe CIA interrogation procedures.

Obama's decision to release classified memos last Thursday that detailed aggressive techniques on terrorism suspects that included waterboarding, sleep deprivation and forced nudity has triggered a political firestorm in Washington.

Rove told Reuters: "If the Obama administration insists on criminalizing policy disagreements, how can they place any limits on who they prosecute?"

"Everyone in the interrogation process would have to be treated the same," he said, including the CIA agents, the physicians who monitored interrogation sessions, and the lawyers who researched and wrote the memos.

The chain could reach "to the leadership of the intelligence community to the legislators in both parties and the Bush administration officials who were briefed on these memos and agreed to them," he said.

[MineralMan]

1. Well, yes, duh...

That's the idea. Torturers and those who enable torturers should be nervous.

[Eric J in MN]

2. Actually, it's up to the Justice Dept whom to prosecute.

They don't have to prosecute everyone involved in a crime.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. just the person overseeing all of this

GWB

[FiveGoodMen]

12. The long-range result is totalitarianism

If you let crooks go whenever you feel like it, then -- and this is already well underway -- you just make a law with severe penalties against absolutely everything that people do.

Then, you only prosecute the people you want to and ... Presto: A Police State/Dictatorship in which anyone can be thrown in jail anytime for as long as desired by those who are in power.

That road leads to the complete destruction of anything resembling Democracy.

(I'm not saying you're technically incorrect, just that the above is where that leads)

In other words: Selective prosecution means no justice at all.

[LaurenG]

3. Tough s*** Karl

Rove told Reuters: "If the Obama administration insists on criminalizing policy disagreements, how can they place any limits on who they prosecute?" Policy disagreements??? Is that what he calls them?

Now he has a problem with the way things are going, did he think that no one would ever be held accountable?

[ellacott]

5. I hope his Secret Service agents will be even more vigilant

This is crazy.

[ohheckyeah]

6. It warms the heart

to know that Rove and Cheney are sweating this out.

[pleah]

7. No surprise turd thinks that torture is a policy disagreement.

Why isn't he in jail, yet?

[Duer 157099]

8. Rove taking lessons from Cheney, shoots self in face

Rove told Reuters: "If the Obama administration insists on criminalizing policy disagreements, how can they place any limits on who they prosecute?"

Um... that's right KKKarl!! What, are you worried now?

[damntexdem]

9. Not a firestorm, just the RW blowing a lot of smoke.

But of course the MSM parrots the line that there is a "firestorm."

[Luminous Animal]

10. I'd like to point out that Obama released

the memos as a result of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU under the FOIA and after the Justice Department convinced Obama that the lawsuit would inevitably result in the memos release at some time.

I am not trying to take anything away from Obama's decision. I support that decision and realize it was a difficult one to make. I merely want to high-light the good work of the ACLU.

[MineralMan]

11. In reality it seems more like a shitstorm,

with loosening of the bowels of those who have something to worry about with regard to torture.

Lots of Imodium™ will be needed among those in the past administration.

[spanone]

13. let the chips fall where they may

[yellowcanine]

14. Orwellian Speak Alert! 'Torture = "Policy Disagreement"' - K. Rove, 4/22/09

Revises earlier Orwellian definition of 'Torture = "Enhanced Interrogation"'

[gratuitous]

15. It seems to be boiling down to this

Who is the Obama administration more afraid of pissing off: Karl Rove and his fellow criminals, or the right-thinking and decent American people? Choose wisely.

[islandgirl808]

16. amazing how everything is starting to come out

the gates have been open...what shall come our way hmm?? :yoiks:

mr. rove sounds scared lol